Organically based light-emitting components, so-called organic light-emitting components, are being used increasingly widely. For example, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are being incorporated to an increasing extent in general lighting, for example as flat light sources.
An organic light-emitting component, for example and OLED, may include an anode and a cathode and an organic functional layer system between them. The organic functional layer system may include one or more emitter layers, in which light is generated, a charge carrier pair generation layer structure respectively consisting of two or more charge carrier pair generation layers (“charge generating layer”, CGL) for charge carrier pair generation, and one or more electron barrier layers, also referred to as hole transport layer (HTL), and one or more hole barrier layers, also referred to as electron transport layers (ETL), in order to direct the flow of current.
In a conventional method for producing an organic light-emitting component, one or two electrically conductive layers are formed extensively on a carrier and subsequently structured by means of a photolithographic process. Subsequently, from the electrically conductive layer or layers, two mutually separated and electrically insulated contact sections for electrical contacting of the organic light-emitting component, and a first electrode of the organic light-emitting component, may be formed, the first electrode being physically and/or electrically connected to one of the contact sections and physically separated and/or electrically insulated from the other of the two contact sections. The carrier with the electrically conductive layer or layers is also referred to as a substrate in this application.
A particularly homogeneous luminance distribution or a deliberately inhomogeneous luminance distribution during operation of the organic light-emitting component may, for example, be achieved by means of the structure formed in the photolithographic process. In particular, the luminance distribution depends inter alia on the structure of the contact sections and of the first electrode, as well as on the physical connection between the first electrode and the corresponding contact section and the current feed, connected thereto, to the optically active layers. The structure of the contact sections and of the first electrode is in turn set by means of a lithography mask used in the photolithographic process.
Inhomogeneities in the luminance and/or in the luminance distribution in the active surface of organic light-emitting components are dependent, inter alia, on the electrical properties of the organic functional layers used. In different organic light-emitting components, for example, different organic layers are used and/or combined with one another, particularly in order to achieve different colors, for example red, green, blue or white. During the conventional production of the various organic light-emitting components, however, the different electrical properties are not taken into account for cost reasons. Conventionally, the organic functional layers are always formed on the same substrates, that is to say always with the same electrical contacting, and in particular always with contact sections formed or structured in the same way. This allows a simple production process, during which in particular the same lithography mask may always be used for structuring the contact sections. At the same time, however, depending on the organic functional layers used, this may lead to an undesired luminance distribution.
As an alternative thereto, the electrical properties may already be taken into account during the substrate production by using, for each type of organic light-emitting component, in particular for each type of organic functional layer structure, a separate lithography mask for producing the corresponding individual contact sections. This, however, is elaborate and expensive compared with only one lithography mask.